Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Made with brioche dough, apple pie filling, and vanilla bean icing, these Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls are pillowy soft with a pull-apart texture.

The tangzhong method (a cooked milk and flour roux) help make these cinnamon rolls plush and stay soft for days. With chopped apples and a cinnamon sugar filling, the rolls smell like the best fall candle!

This detailed recipe walks through every step of the process and gives lots of tips and photos so you can make the best sourdough apple cinnamon rolls.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Pre-cooked apple pie filling: cooking the apples first creates a rich, jammy filling that stays flavorful and tender inside the rolls.
• Simple vanilla bean icing mimics apple pie with vanilla ice cream. However, you can use another frosting like the brown butter cream cheese frosting in my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls or the chai cream cheese frosting in these Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
• Soft, pull-apart texture from sourdough brioche dough.
• Can make the sourdough apple cinnamon rolls ahead of time before frosting and let them rise overnight to bake in the morning.
• Store well before frosting so you can make them ahead of time and serve on Thanksgiving or other holidays.
• Perfect fall flavor: warm cinnamon, tender apples, and vanilla bean icing make these feel like apple pie in cinnamon roll form.

👨‍🍳 Pro Baking Tips

• Chop the apples small. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the rolls and make them easier to slice without tearing the dough.
• Don’t overcook the apples. They should be tender but still have some structure since they’ll continue cooking in the oven.
• Ice while slightly warm. Let the rolls cool for several minutes before adding the vanilla bean icing so it softens and drapes over the rolls without completely melting away.
• Roll tightly, but not too tightly. A snug roll creates beautiful spirals while still leaving enough room for the dough to expand.
• Let the dough fully ferment. Sourdough cinnamon rolls need enough fermentation time to become light and fluffy. Look for a dough that has visibly expanded and feels airy rather than relying only on the clock.

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🛠 Tools Needed

See below for my tool recommendations for making these apple cinnamon rolls, including various substitutes.

• Baking Scale
  • Measuring your ingredients by weight instead of volume is essential so you get a more consistent and accurate bake.
• Stand Mixer with dough hook attachment (highly recommended)
  • If you have a stand mixer, it’ll really help bring this brioche dough better. It’s a relatively sticky dough at first and the stand mixer will do a lot of the hard work for you to build the gluten development.
  • If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand.
• 9×13 Baking Pan
  • The recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls for a crowd. However, you can use another pan or baking dish with a similar area, such as a 12-inch round cast-iron skillet, or by using a couple of 8 or 9-inch round cake pans.
  • To cut the dough in half, use one 8×8 square pan or one 9-inch round pan.
  • The USA pan linked above is made of aluminized steel and is non-stick!
• Rolling Pin
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game-changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information, variations, and possible substitutes.

Brioche Dough

• Bread Flour
  • I use King Arthur Bread Flour at 12.7% protein, which gives these rolls a chewy texture and helps them rise tall. You could use all-purpose flour too.
  • If you want to make the rolls even heartier, substitute a cup with about 120g with whole wheat flour.
• Salt
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use active sourdough starter and not sourdough discard for this bread.
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips and why I maintain a small sourdough starter.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • This is a brioche dough, so it’s vital that your butter is at room temperature so it will incorporate into the dough. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix well (or take forever to mix) and if it’s melted, it may make your dough too sticky.
• Eggs, for richness and structure
• Whole milk
  • I always bake with whole milk and full-fat dairy for richness and the best flavor, but you can substitute the whole milk with 2%, low-fat milk, or plant-based if needed (use unsweetened).
• Granulated sugar
  • You can substitute the sugar with ⅔ the amount of honey, maple syrup, agave, or another natural liquid sweetener. It’s a small amount, but you may need to reduce the milk slightly so your dough isn’t too sticky.

Apple Pie and Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• Unsalted butter, softened
• Cinnamon
  • Could be substituted with cardamom, pumpkin or apple pie spice, or other spices.
  • If you love cinnamon swirl, you will love my Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread.
• Dark brown sugar
  • You can use light brown sugar if you need to, but dark brown sugar has more molasses, leading to a richer flavor.
• Flour
  • A small amount of starch (flour here) helps the cinnamon sugar filling from leaking as much. Some leaking is normal, though, with the long fermentation! You can use cornstarch or tapioca starch as well.
• Apples
  • Chop crisp, tart baking apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady for the best flavor and texture.
• Lemon Juice
  • Brightens the filling. Substitute with apple cider vinegar.
• Cornstarch
  • Helps thickens the apple pie filling.

Vanilla Bean Icing

• Vanilla Bean Paste, vanilla bean, or vanilla extract
  • I like the flavor and specks of vanilla bean paste or a whole vanilla bean in this simple icing.
• Powdered sugar
• Milk, as needed
• Pinch of salt

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🍎 How to Make Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make these soft Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls.

1. Make the Tangzhong

Tangzhong is a cooked flour roux that makes milk breads and enriched doughs extremely soft. It’s an easy method I use in many recipes, such as my Sourdough Hot Dog Buns and Sourdough Chocolate Brioche.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk flour and milk together constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Mix the Dough

Pour the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Then, add the eggs, milk, all of the levain (or starter), sugar, flour, and salt.

Mix on medium speed for a few minutes and add a small slice of softened butter to the dough at a time while mixing. Wait until the butter is fully incorporated until you add the next piece.

Mix the brioche dough for 10-15 minutes or until the dough smooths out, is tacky, slaps the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.

To test, pull a piece of dough between your fingers. If you can stretch it into a thin membrane, like a windowpane, without it tearing, then it’s mixed enough. Otherwise, keep mixing for a few more minutes.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and cover for bulk fermentation, which will take about 5-6 hours at 78ºF.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, the dough will ferment faster.

Bulk fermentation is complete when this dough has doubled in size, is smoother, and domes in your bowl.

4. Cook Apple Filling

Chop apples into small pieces and add to a small saucepan with cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and 1-2 TBS of water.

Cook and stir on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the apples are slightly tender with just a bit of bite left.

Remove from the heat and cool while your dough proofs.

You can make the apple pie filling up to 3 days ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

5. Overnight Proof

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for a cold, overnight proof and up to 48 hours.

The dough will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator, which helps develop flavor and allows you to bake on your own schedule.

Alternatively, shape the cinnamon rolls in the next step and proof the shaped rolls overnight in the refrigerator.

6. Fill, Shape, and Slice

Before shaping, butter or grease a 9×13 baking pan or dish and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

Make the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Mix the softened butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and a TBS of flour in a bowl with a spatula to make the cinnamon sugar filling. It should come together like wet sand.

Set aside the filling while you roll out the dough.

Roll Out and Shape

• Step 1: Punch down and turn out the cold dough onto a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large rectangular slab, about 12×18″. Only flour the dough lightly if it’s sticking.
• Step 2: Spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the dough, leaving about a ½-inch border. Then, add the apple filling on top.
• Step 3: Use a pastry wheel to cut 12 1 ½” strips from the long side.
• Step 4: Roll the strips up to make the apple cinnamon rolls.

Alternatively, you can roll the cinnamon rolls in a classic roll and slice with a serrated knife or dental floss. However, I find this method cleaner and easier since it’s a heavier filling that can tend to leak out.

7. Final Proof

Place the 12 sliced cinnamon rolls in four rows of three in the parchment-lined baking pan.

Cover for the final proof. At 78ºF, the final proof typically takes about 4 hours, but it depends on your temperature and starter strength.

To bake fresh in the morning, proof the cinnamon rolls in a cool location or keep in the refrigerator overnight.

At the end of the final proof, the dough should about double in size and rise in the pan, be poofy, touch each other, and feel full of air if you poke one with a floured finger.

8. Bake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

Bake the rolls for 30-32 minutes until the filling just starts to bubble and the tops haven’t quite browned.

If checking the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer, it should read about 190-200ºF (88-93ºC).

Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

9. Make Vanilla Bean Icing

While the rolls bake or cool, make the vanilla bean icing.

Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, and a bit of milk a mixing bowl.

Add a teaspoon of milk to the mixture if it’s still too dry.

Spoon the icing onto the cinnamon rolls.

Finally, serve straight from the pan or lift the rolls out with the parchment paper before pulling apart!

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How to Store, Make Ahead, & Serve

These sourdough apple cinnamon rolls store extremely well due to the tangzhong and sourdough, which help keep them soft and fluffy (similar to how mashed sweet potatoes keep these Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls and Sourdough Sweet Potato Biscuits soft).

The rolls keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Reheat them slightly before serving. I heat for about 10-15 seconds in a microwave and they’re perfect!

To make ahead, you can freeze the unproofed sliced rolls in the baking pan in plastic wrap. Thaw at least overnight in the refrigerator and let them proof at room temperature.

Finally, you can freeze baked and unfrosted cinnamon rolls in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and reheat the rolls in a 300ºF (149ºC) toaster oven, toaster, or oven until warmed through. I suggest frosting the buns just before serving if possible.

These are a beautiful dessert for fall holiday dinners or as a festive breakfast treat, including Thanksgiving or Christmas.

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❓FAQs